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Featuring Second Life Homes

Winter & Magenta’s Fairy Tale

View full size photos in all of their glory at the end of this post.

Winter Jefferson and Magenta DeVinna are my friends, but even if I didn’t know them I would still get a sense of who they are just from visiting their home. They graciously volunteered their house to be my first victim at this blog, and I couldn’t have asked for a better home to feature.

Winter and Magenta are a fairy tale couple and they both know I mean that as a compliment. In her heart of hearts, Magenta is a sparkly pink unicorn. In his cold, dead heart, Winter is a sparkly vampire. And their home looks like a sparkly fairy tale cabin. No matter which windlight I used to try to dim down the sparkle, I couldn’t kill it; the sparkle remained. There’s so much light and wonder in the landscaping, I finally gave in and embraced it.

There are those who rezz a house and live in it for years, and there are some who change houses more often than they change shoes. Winter and Magenta have been in this house since just after Christmas, and only change homes once or twice a year – which is eons in SL.

I asked Magenta about her must-haves in an SL home:

“I definitely prefer a small number of big rooms rather than all these tiny rooms with random small spaces in that lots of builds seem to do these days. With it just being two of us we don’t need 17 rooms you can’t swing a cat in so 2 or 3 big rooms is what we look for. I also really like builds that have lots of big windows. Trees are something I really need at home so I like having big windows so I can see outside.”

The decor inside their home is spare and elegant. There is a kind of battle between their individual styles (Magenta likes shabby chic and Winter is very minimal), and it’s clear they’ve found a happy medium that suits them both.

I asked Magenta if there was anything she wanted in her home that she couldn’t find in SL:

I really struggle to find a really worn, comfy, soft, floppable couch in SL. You know those couches you see where you just know flopping onto it at the end of the day would be the comfiest thing ever? Most couches in SL are perfect and classy and gorgeous but they don’t look like couches you could lie on on a Sunday morning with a blanket eating crisps and biscuits on. Dust Bunny made a set like this once and I adore it but it would be nice if there was more options.

With so little clutter, it’s apparent the items in their home are important and special to the couple. This prevents their home from feeling cold; though the rooms are huge and the decor minimal, the obviously personal nature of the items makes their house inviting and warm.

I asked them where they spent most of their time when they’re home:

“We tend to give each room about the same amount of attention, I think. Because they are all pretty much lounging rooms we seem to rotate around them all, apart from the dining room. If I’m home alone though, I’m in the garden mostly.”

I’d like to note here that the artwork above the fireplace is one of my pieces, and I’m relatively certain that they placed it there before I came over. I assume they have artwork by many friends that they rotate in before their friends TP over.

Speaking of artwork, there’s not much art on the walls. And while my own taste runs toward an overabundance of gallery walls in every room, I found the mostly bare walls the perfect complement to the large windows, beautiful light, and lovely views.

One thing that is on their wall is their marriage certificate. I asked them what was something they always have in every home, and this was Magenta’s reply:

“This is so corny and it’s going to make everyone vomit so I apologize in advance but it’s our marriage certificate. I always find a nice spot for it once a new house goes up.”

This is the perfect example of their home being for them, not a showcase meant for others. This is a personal, loving home that they’ve created together, perfectly expressing their inner selves on the outside. Which is what most of us do in Second Life, isn’t it?

While I’ve stated that this blog isn’t about me, I will indulge in one small luxury. I have a thing for chairs in Second Life. I sit in every one I see, buy each one that’s for sale, and I use them in photos and all over my own SL space. I heart chairs. My inventory is overflowing with chairs. And, yes, I sat in all of Winter and Magenta’s – though they didn’t have many! I intend to photograph my favorite chair in each home I visit. In Winter and Magenta’s home it was here, in their foyer. It was a lovely spot.

I’ll leave you with these words from Magenta, perfectly summarizing something special about Second Life homes:

“Our home is very special to me. Being in a relationship where we are about as far away in RL as we could possibly be from each other, it’s really important to me that we have a “home”. Somewhere we can log in and even when the other one isn’t online (which happens a lot during the week) you can still have a sense of belonging and family. I think sometimes having a home in SL is underestimated.”

A life without an SL home was something unimaginable for me. I was only 2 weeks old in SL when I rented my first, small sky platform on which a few different houses could be rezzed from a menu.
I am the sort of person who not only changes her appearance according to the mood I am in, but also change my home about 4 or 5 times a year. (Forwalu is the short form for “Formwandler Lust”, which is German and means ‘shapeshifter delight’.
Moreover I need my home for my artworks and as scenes for my roleplay with my best SL friend.
So…….I absolutely agree with Magenta’s summary!